In 1992, Bill Guerin made NHL history, though unbeknownst to him at the time. When the 21-year-old made his NHL debut with the New Jersey Devils on Feb. 20 at Chicago, he became the first player of Hispanic descent to play in the League.
But it would take two decades before Guerin even knew of his pioneering.
“I found out like 15 years ago when someone told me. I couldn’t believe it,” he laughed. “I’m very proud of that. It’s a unique distinction. But even before playing hockey, I was proud of my heritage. That just makes it extra special.”
Guerin – who played for the Devils from 1992-98, winning the ’95 Stanley Cup with the organization – and his two siblings are the product of an immigrant mother from Nicaragua and a father from Wooster, Massachusetts. And while Guerin’s achievement is his own, it is part the story of his mother, Ligia, and her journey to North America.
Ligia Delgadillo, at the encouragement of her father, Guerin’s grandfather, Victor Delgadillo, came to America to further her education, attending Ole Miss.
“My grandfather had success as a businessman in Nicaragua. But he was raised by his mother, so he sent all of his daughters to the University of Mississippi in the 60s,” Guerin said. “It was so my mother and her sisters never had to rely on a man.”
Ligia attended Ole Miss just as the school was being forced to integrate the first Black students as part of the Civil Rights movement. But having come from a country ripe with political unrest in Central America, Ligia met the resistance with aplomb.
“She used to tell me that there were riots all the time in Nicaragua,” Guerin recalled. “She said, ‘I’m used to tear gas, used to unrest.’ She wasn’t afraid.”
While at Ole Miss, she met Guerin’s father, Bill Guerin Sr., who was visiting the university as part of a Catholic mission trip. They dated long distance and soon she moved to Massachusetts. The two eventually married during a moment of heightened racial conflict in America.
“They fell in love and moved back to Worcester. It was an interracial marriage back in the 60s for both of them,” Guerin said. “I admire the strength of their love and the courage that they had. The strength of our family to bring my mom in as one of them. She’s a really strong person and we all owe a lot to our mothers.”
After marrying, the Guerins had three children: Billy, Melissa and John. The Guerin family made many trips to Nicaragua in the 70s to visit Ligia’s side of the family and to learn their roots and culture.
“We would go down there every other year and visit my grandparents and cousins, aunts and uncles,” Guerin said. “Eventually most of them moved to Florida, Mississippi, Long Island, they all spread around. In the early years, most of them lived down there. It was like any other family. They just happened to be in Nicaragua.
“But it was cool. Going to the different markets and beaches, spending time at my grandparents’ house and hanging with my cousins. It was great. I have very, very fond memories of visiting Nicaragua.”
When the Sandinista Revolution broke out in the late 70s, early 80s it became too dangerous for the family to visit. And many of Ligia’s family made their way to the United States.
Despite being unable to visit their native country, the Guerin household had many tributes and influences.
“We always had artifacts hanging around the house and pictures. Little pieces of furniture,” Guerin said of the culture reminders. “My favorite was when she would make plantains. She didn’t push anything on us. She Americanized, but it was always there. It was more subtle.”
Guerin’s success in hockey is also part of his mother’s story. Without her, Guerin would never have put on a pair of skates.
“My mom was the one who actually got me started in it. Not my dad,” Guerin said. “I was a kid with a lot of energy, and she needed something for me to do in the wintertime. She had a friend whose son played hockey and she said, ‘why don’t you bring Billy and see how he likes it.’ She brought me once and that was it.
“It was her bringing me to public skates or stick time and it took off. My dad built a rink in the backyard, but my mom did most of the driving to practices.”
Guerin, who has served as general manager of the Minnesota Wild since 2019, excelled so much in the sport that he would be drafted, fifth overall in 1989, by the New Jersey Devils. After playing two seasons at Boston College, Guerin made the jump to the pro game, breaking a barrier for Hispanic players that came after him.
While Guerin was the first, many others have followed in his footsteps, including former Devils forward Scott Gomez and Toronto’s Auston Matthews. For Guerin, it’s essential for children of Hispanic descent to see those like themselves playing in the NHL and on the biggest stage in hockey.
“I think it’s really important. It’s just a connection for kids in the Hispanic community,” he said. “Like, there’s a guy that did it (and played in the NHL). There’s a guy that loved hockey like I do. I can do it, too.
“Auston and ‘Gomer’ being of Mexican descent. It hits home with people. I think it’s important.”
